


The Latino I Couldn't Put in the Closet

by curiouser_curiouser



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Depression, I don't know, M/M, Oh, and people, and trigger warnings that'll make you realize how shitty life really is, as goes always for Leo Valdez, bye, fake smiles, okie then, stop using Leonardo as leo's real name because that shit's stupid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-02-08 05:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1928490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouser_curiouser/pseuds/curiouser_curiouser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Bianca's death, Maria di Angelo decides a fresh start is needed, and adopting an impish Latino is, unfortunately for Nico, at the top of her list. </p><p>But maybe, just maybe, it isn't so unfortunate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So, that's a no to the closet, then?

After Maria told him the news, everything around him became white noise. It was silent between the clanking of silverware on their plates and the ice rattling in their crystal glasses. The tension was high when Nico spoke again. 

"You can't replace her," He said, balling his fists on the white tablecloth. "No matter who you bring in this house, you can't replace her. You won't." 

Maria paused between bites of her vegetables, swallowing and sighing before replying gingerly. "Mio Angelo, I'm not trying to replace her, I just-" 

"Then just what do you think bringing some homeless weirdo into our house is going to do?" He dropped his fork to his plate. "Because I know what it'll do. It'll make us grow farther apart than we already are. It'll make our lives harder than they already are because now we have to take care of one more person." 

Maria sucked in a breath. "I'm not asking you to take care of him, Nico. I'm asking you to try, please just try, and move on. It's been so long since Bia-" 

"Don't say her name," The young Italian snapped. "And it's only been four years, Mama. Four isn't long. I- I don't understand why you've gotten over it. She was your daughter. She loved you and you loved her. Or maybe I thought you did." 

"Nico, you know I loved her and I know you did, too. I just- I want a fresh start. I want to wake up in the morning and just... Not think about it." She paused for a minute. "And you have a choice here, too, Nico. You can sulk, you can ignore me all day and blast that monstrosity you call music in your room, you can hate every happy soul and you can hate me. Or you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and we can both at least try being happy again. We can dance around the kitchen and watch classic disney movies, we can smile and say good morning when we wake up for once. We can try. And if trying is the best we're going to get, then fine. We'll try." 

The tension level seems to drop. 

"Okay," Nico said, gaze locked on his untouched lasagna. "I- I'll, uh, I'll try. But if this doesn't work, t-" 

"Then we'll keep trying," Maria interrupted, and paused. "And it will work." 

The return of silverware clanking to plates and ice rattling in the crystal glasses returned. Nico placed his glass of water back on the table, almost afraid to say anything else because there was already enough disagreement in the air and he didn't care to hear the excruciatingly painful sound of try. 

In the end, he decided to ask. 

"When... is he coming?"

Maria gave a wry smile. "I'm going to pick him up tomorrow, while you clean up your room and divide it between you and him." 

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Nico pushed his chair back and stood abruptly. "Who said I was going to share my room with him? There's two other rooms in this house, he can have one." 

"I told you that your cousins are staying here while their parents are out of town, remember? They're coming in a few days." 

"What about the coat closet?" Nico countered. "I know it doesn't look it, but that place is fucking spacious." 

"Language!" Maria said and Nico fell back into his chair, defeated. "And we're not giving your new brother a coat closet to live in."

"I already said I'll try, Mama," Nico inhaled. "Don't push this."

"Mio Angelo, please cooperate," She slowly got up from her seat, picking up her empty plate and half-empty glass. "I just want to move on. I want us to be happy." 

The last sentence hung in the air, echoing in Nico's mind, over and over and over. I want us to be happy. 

And wasn't that what everyone wanted? To be happy? 

It was dream to some people, it was a need most yearned to fulfill, but oh, god knows, Nico di Angelo did not want happiness. Because behind that thick layer of smiles and laughs, between being spontaneous, erotic, fun? There was another life that no one knew; Happiness comes after pain for most, so there's still that giant, swelling piece of nothing wanting to escape, but it can't because you know it's there and there is no escape, so it sits there, finding a special little place in your heart to do it's destroying, over and over until there's nothing left to destroy. It's all a piece of undying bullshit. 

Now, Nico wasn't exactly the easiest to talk to, or just approach in general. His presence itself was cold, dark, and all around mean at times. But he wasn't always like this; It started when she died. It started when the only spark of hope left, his last glint of pure effervescence, slowly died and what makes it worse is that Nico knew, oh he knew, that she was already long gone before her actual shriveled up, undersized heart stopped beating in her chest.

Breaking the unbearable silence, filled with loud thoughts, Nico pushes his plate closer to Maria's. "Fine. I'm going to my room, or the room that used to be mine." Starting to walk away, Nico paused with a coy smirk and he was pretty sure he wouldn't say this if he wasn't so infuriated and down-right pissed. "And have fun doing the dishes; I know you just adore scraping wet food off the plates."


	2. Bleeding Zebra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Leo learns that his new house is animal print themed.

Walking into his new home, Leo wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, he was smiling and nodding, but on the inside, his mind was something along the lines of 'asdfghjkl.'

The atmosphere was welcoming, but large and Leo was pretty sure he might get lost on the way to the bathroom. Looking around, the colors of the house seemed bleeding-zebra-ish; Everything was black and white with little touches of blood red. The floors were black hardwoods, shining from the light outside, mostly covered by all of the overpriced looking furniture. 

Leo wasn't certain. Maybe this family just liked animal print, or maybe he just wasn't used to these standards.   
One thing was for sure. The di Angelo family was rich as hell. 

You could tell that by looking at the glass entrance-table with the edgily designed legs, or looking up at the two spiral staircases near the front door. 

"So, Leo," Maria said. She wore a black button up blouse with a pair of white boot-cut jeans. Her hair was put up into a birdcage and she was wearing a dark red lipstick, almost blending in with the design of her house. To Leo, Maria seemed like a nice lady; One that'd pinch your cheeks with an admirable look in her eyes every-so often, a lady that didn't dress in just a teeshirt and shorts. Her smile was warm and her eyes were puffy, laced thinly with a layer of sadness. Leo could tell determination was all she'd let show. "How do you like it?" 

At that, the Latino got a churning in his stomach. Upsetting this lady wasn't something he wanted to do, but the house wasn't exactly the prettiest. Deciding to go with the shy, cliche-movie routine, Leo simply said, "It's nice."

Maria nodded. "I'm glad you like it. Your room is upstairs, but... I hope you don't mind a roommate." 

Leo raised a brow, but didn't question, and let Maria led him up the spiral steps (which were, needless to say, terrifyingly slippery) and to his new shared room. As they got closer to the door at the very end of the hallway, hidden in the darkness of that particular place in the house, Leo began to hear music from inside. 

He made out few words, like Closer, You'll, See, but he figured he'd get a chance to learn them once he stepped through. 

Maria knocked cautiously on the door. "Mio Angelo," She began, looking utterly nervous and - oh god, was she sweating? 

The music noticeably turned down, and from the other side came a harsh, icy voice. "What. The. Hell. Do. You. Want." 

And the first thing Leo thought at those words, were "Shit, crap, this is not happening to me. I am going to fucking die."

Of course, Leo just had a nervous smile upon his face, not letting his inner this-is-how-it-ends emotion show. 

Maria served a nervous glance towards Leo. "Sorry, he's a bit, umm... Pessimistic." She turned back to the door. "Your roommate is here." She made sure the word 'roommate' was loud enough. 

Before the music turned louder, the cold voice from inside the room quietly spoke. "It's unlocked." 

Maria wrapped her fingers around the knob, turning and pushing open.   
Inside the room was colder than the rest of the house, which Leo honestly thought was refreshing, but he didn't say that out loud. 

His eyes scanned over the room. It was large, extremely, and Leo didn't think that that much space could be behind such a small door.   
A half of it was almost completely empty, aside from the queen-sized bed sitting in the middle against the wall, and a bland bedside table, all of which Leo assumed was his. 

Looking at the other half of the room, it was the complete opposite of Leo's half. The walls were black and splattered with different kinds of graffiti. There was a rusty painting easel with different brushes on the side-holder, and a painting resting against it, unfinished and in a way... Beautiful. 

Leo glanced to other areas of that half, and if he said his heart didn't jump in his throat when he saw his new brother (or roommate, if you don't want things to be uncomfortable), he'd be lying. 

The boy had raven black hair, perfectly swept across his head in a messy way. He had pale, pasty skin, fitting in flawlessly with his black skull shirt and navy-brown aviators jacket. He wore a silver skull ring among his left ring-finger, black skinny jeans, and white socks. In his hands, he held a leather-bound book, the cover had an creepy tree carved in it, with different little heads of different little people on it. It read, 'Lost and Forgotten' on the top and on the bottom, it had the authors name, Sophia Cyra. It wasn't open, but the boy's long, elegant fingers were tracing the crooks, not missing a spot. 

Maria put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "This is Nico," She said nervously, turning to 'Nico'. "And this is Leo Valdez, your roommate, Nico." The smile on her face came out as more of a grimace, and Leo felt bad for her, too. She was obviously nervous as hell. 

Nico seemed to notice this, too; He sighed and put the book down, getting off the bed and plastering a smile on his face. He walked over to Leo and Maria with caution. Leo figured he was trying to give comfort to his mother more than making an effort to befriend Leo. 

"Hi," He spoke, the single word bouncing off the wall in the emptiness of Leo's half. "I'm Nico, your new brother." Emphasis on the 'brother' part, Nico was looking at his mother, saying 'It's okay' with his piercing brown orbs. 

Leo glanced at Maria. She seemed relieved, calmer than before.

Sighing victoriously, she began to speak again. "Well, I'll let you two, um, get to know each other. You can both go get Leo's bags later. Or now. But it... doesn't... matter." Her voice faded as she disappeared from the room, and Leo had to stifle a laugh because of the awkwardness of the whole situation. 

Looking back at Nico, Leo was pretty sure the boy was going to turn mean and icy again now that his mother wasn't here, going back to his creepy book and just ignoring Leo. 

Instead, he nonchalantly asked, "Do you want to go get those bags?"

And from there, Leo decided everything might turn out okay. 

God, was he wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, it's kind of short.  
> And I know it's a bit SOON to give my next update, especially with the time I usually have. 
> 
> But this is what happens when you pull an all-nighter and you're excited about a fic. 
> 
> And, YAYYYY I GAVE MYSELF A CAMEO!  
> I was private messaging a few people on wattpad, and they were all like, you should make yourself in one of your stories, so I added myself as the author of a book Nico's reading, because I'm writing it anyway. .  
> Fun, huh?
> 
> Annnnyways, I hope you liked it. 
> 
> Thanks to my wonderful reviewers off of deviantART. 
> 
> And hey, guys, guess what?
> 
> I love you.  
> You're beautiful and perfect and amazing, and I love you.


	3. Steak Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo calls Piper and Nico shares his idea.

If he didn't see it before, he definitely saw it now. 

Things were tense between Nico and Maria to the extent that Leo couldn't breath, and he wasn't sure he was helping out with it much. Nico hadn't tried to put effort into making nice with Leo since helping bring his bags upstairs, and the last time they'd spoken was when Nico condemned him for putting band and superhero posters up on the walls, but Leo really just thought he was jealous of how badass Iron Man was looking. 

Maria had called them down for dinner about an hour later, and if Leo were to tell you that it went great; that they were laughing, talking about their hobbies and things they liked to do on the weekends- well, he'd be the biggest liar on the face of planet earth. 

It went more like this:   
"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't eat meat?" Nico spat at his mother. His tone was venomous, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "You never listen to me anymore!"

Maria's eye twitched. "Just eat it, Nico," she snapped back. "You should be happy you even have food! Don't you know some kids are starving right now? And they'd be perfectly happy to eat your steak. Right, Leo?" 

Leo was startled to be suddenly put into the conversation. He might have answered (yeah, right) if he didn't think Maria was talking about how he used to be one of those starving kids- and he was, but a long time ago. He just settled for looking down at his lap and fiddling with a loose string on the tablecloth. "Thanks for the meal, Maria," he said a few minutes later as he pulled his chair out. "I'm just going to go... ehm, read." 

He took his plate and cup and brought it to the sink and rinsed it off with soap and water, saying another quick thank you to Maria before running upstairs. Leo kind of felt like a failure when he heard harsh whispers from Nico downstairs about not really wanting him as a brother, but no one really wanted him and he was used to it, so he didn't understand what made Nico any different.

The whispers became inaudible when Leo shut the door to his new room, and he was kind of relieved. He made his way over to his bed, kicking off his shoes, then pulling out his cellphone from inside his pillowcase, where he usually stashed his things. His wallpaper was of him and his old housemate, Piper. He was holding up bunny ears over her head with his tongue out and she was cross-eyed with her duck mouth. It made Leo smile when he remembered the moment. 

It was the night before he left to come to the di Angelo house (no, wait, not a house, more like a mansion) and he had set it as his screensaver right before he went to bed. Piper had explained to him that they would see each other at school the next Monday, but it seemed way too far from now- Friday- and Leo wasn't sure he could wait so many more days. 

He quickly put in the passcode for his phone and tapped on the green 'Phone' icon with the telephone in the middle. He tapped on his favorites and selected Piper, and the word, 'Calling...' appeared on the screen.

She picked up on the third ring. "Hiya, Leo," she said sillily. "How's your new family? I bet they aren't as mean as the DA here."

"They aren't my family." He snapped, looking down at his crossed feet on the bed. "No, they aren't as mean... Not to me, at least." 

"What does that mean?"

Leo sighed. "Well, they aren't mean to me... They're just kind of mean to each other. Like Maria- who's mom now, I guess- she was so obviously nervous when I was meeting Nico for the first time. And Nico yelled at her at dinner because she cooked him some steak." 

"So who's Nico? The new dad? Those guys can be rough."

Leo snorted. "God, no. Nico's the brother. I think I'd be out of here if he was the father, 'cause he probably wouldn't be a very good one. I can just imagine the steak flying across the table." 

Piper laughed softly from the other side. "I wish I was there so we could endure the pain together. But it honestly doesn't sound as bad as here. Rachel got Annabeth pissed again and they only stopped fighting because Rachel had to go out and get groceries with Ms. Rosa. I think they're on their way back right now, actually. I just hope Percy won't start to cry again." 

Leo had almost forgotten about Percy- or more like Percy's disorder. He acted normal most of the time, and if you didn't know him, you'd think he was. But the truth?  
Percy Jackson had High-Functioning Autism. 

Him and the other kids had been informed of this before he was brought to the house and eventually sent to the school. Leo kind of felt bad for the guy because of that. Percy was awkward and he didn't handle criticism well, so everyone teased him even more than usual when they found out he was in the special education program. But of course him and the rest of his housemates were known as the Heroes of Olympus High School, so they protected him from bullies whenever they could. 

"Yeah," Leo said finally. "It'll get better here, I think." He told her, but the words felt kind of empty. "Tell Annabeth and Rachel to take it outside, okay? You can't let Rosa send Percy back to the Academy. He doesn't like it there." 

"No one likes it there," Piper muttered, then continued louder. "And even if they wanted to send Percy back to the Academy, I'd talk them out of it. Just like I will when I tell Annabeth and Rachel to stop fighting. You know I have a way with words, remember?"

Leo laughed. "I remember. Like that time where you talked someone into giving you that-" He cut himself off when he heard screaming in the background of Piper's side.

"Shut up, Annabeth! I'm on the phone!" A minute later (after screaming and the sound of crying), Piper's voice came back into hearing. "Sorry, Leo. I gotta go get Hazel to calm Percy down and then put the groceries away."

Leo sighed. "Yeah, okay..." He clicked 'End Call' button and collapsed back down on his bed. It'd only been a few hours in the di Angelo house and he was already starting to miss his real family. He felt like he was abandoning them, just like he was abandoned as a kid- scared, alone, and finding it hard to trust anyone.

He rolled over to the side and jumped off of the bed, walking over to his drawers to pull out some pajamas. He put them on quickly and jumped onto his bed, grabbing a comic book from his side table and laying back.

Leo couldn't hear what was happening downstairs and he was profusely happy at that. He'd just realized when he'd gotten off of the phone with Piper that there was complete silence, and he wasn't used to that. Usually there was some kind of noise, like high pitched screaming, dishes in the kitchen, or crying, but it was quiet... And curse him for thinking this, but it was kind of nice to be able to think, to be able to do something without the interruption of Rosa telling him (and the other kids) how worthless he was and the sound of tantrums in the next room over. 

Leo decided he'd close his comic book and try to enjoy the moment while it lasted. He closed his eyes, lying down and just relaxing. 

Minutes later (it really felt like seconds), Nico walked in with an unreadable expression on his face after softly shutting the door. "Hi." 

Leo sat up. "Um... Hey?" 

Nico sighed. "Look," he began, walking over and sitting on the end of Leo's bed. "My mom is really trying for me, and I don't know why, 'cause she's never done it before now." He took a breath. "Anyways, she brought you here because she wanted to start over, and personally I think you've screwed up this family even more." 

"Wow, thanks," Leo rolled his eyes, sitting up more against the pillows.

"No, let me finish," Nico put his hand up. "The thing is, my mom doesn't think you've screwed it up. She says that you couldn't have 'cause you've only been here for five hours and the longer you're here, the more it's going to bring this family together again. So this is what we're going to do; I'm going to pretend that I'm okay with you being here and you're going to pretend to not know I'm lying, alright? But that's it. We don't talk at school, and we don't talk when my mom isn't there. Got it?"

Leo kind of wanted to yell at him when the words were finally processed in his mind, because no one picked on him like that- he wouldn't let them. But apparently Nico di Angelo was a pass, because he found himself vigorously nodding at the kid before he walked back to his own bed. 

Maybe it was because he was really too tired to argue (which couldn't be true, because Leo was never too tired to argue) or maybe Nico was intimidating- wait, scratch that- Nico was intimidating, and that didn't really help Leo feel more at home. 

So he decided he'd just close his eyes and try not to think about it. Monday would come soon, and he'd see his real family again. 

Everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aloha, oreos
> 
> so this is long overdue, huh?  
> i started writing it a day after chapter two, but then i ended up hating it 'cause they were in the driveway getting Leo's shit and they were friends, like no fuck that
> 
> anyways, i'm pretty happy with it  
> at least i have some kind of plot now, like more than them just being brothers who fall in love...   
> i almost wrote stepbrothers, what how would that work
> 
> okay okay, now getting to the good part
> 
> this'll be updated every friday...ish... but only because all of my other stories are on hiatus.   
> i wanted to try and not screw this up because it's three chapters in
> 
> now, I made Percy have High-Functioning Autism because my sister has it and I realized a few days ago that I hadn't done anything to honor her  
> so anyways, i love you Nadiyah, but stop sniffing my hair while i'm sleeping
> 
> okay, i love you my rainbow oreos  
> you're pretty damn shamazeballs 
> 
> OKAY JEEZ MOM I'LL BE DOWN IN A SEC  
> gotta go, readers of the world
> 
> enjoy your supreme confusion in the face
> 
> sincerely,   
>  cyra


	4. After The Weekend

Hugging Piper on Monday morning made Leo feel better about what went on over the weekend, even if it wasn't by a lot. He didn't explain to her about how Nico would snap if Leo walked over to his side of the room (where the bathroom is, and the door to leave the room, mind him) and how pretending to like him was tiring, because going into the details wouldn't do anything, especially because she couldn't exactly do anything about it, so Leo enjoyed the long hug that Piper thought was just because they hadn't seen each other since Friday. Instead, he listened to Piper talk about what was happening with the other kids and tried not to act too unlike the Leo most people knew. 

"Percy is lucky Rosa didn't catch him crying again," she told him, putting in the combination to her locker.   
"Percy's lucky he has Hazel to help him stop crying." Leo said, crossing hims arms. "If Annabeth and Rachel don't stop fighting, maybe they need to be sent to the Academy. Get their heads set straight or something. 

Piper shook her head softly, chuckling slightly. "I don't think they need to be sent to the Academy, no one needs to be sent there. But I agree about Percy; he's lucky he's got Hazel. I'm just nervous about some things..."  
"Look, there's still a chance Rachel gets adopted by that family that came on Tuesday," Leo assured her. "and that means no more fighting to make Percy cry or hide again."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Before Leo could say anything, the bell rang loudly across the halls, signaling 2nd Period. Piper looked at him and winked, a weird looking smile on her lips. "See you at Lunch, Valdez."   
___  
By the time fourth period arrived, Leo's stomach was growling like there was a wild animal living inside it. He didn't eat breakfast that morning because Nico was in the kitchen, so he just gave Maria a hug and walked to the bus stop for school (Nico followed a few minutes later). Now he was wishing he hadn't been such a wuss, because with forty-eight minutes to Lunch, he couldn't stop staring at the clock, tapping his foot on the ground and waiting for what felt like hours to pass by, thanks to his ADHD. Also, being this distracted probably wouldn't do much good on the European History test happening on Thursday.   
When the bell finally rang for Lunch, Leo was the first one out of the classroom. His motivation to leave wasn't just the food though (honestly cafeteria food isn't that good, especially compared to Maria's special pasta), he was also excited to see Piper and Hazel, and Percy of course, because you gotta love the guy and his weird (also interesting) view on life.  
He got to the lunch line just before more students started flooding into the cafeteria (although a lot of students were already here) grabbing two burgers because they're tiny, dumping some mashed potatoes on his plate, and getting a really yummy looking muffin (oh how he loves Muffin Monday) with a pack of butter, and of course silverware and a bottle of water. 

Leo paid the cashier and left the lunch line, walking past a bunch of tables to get to the one he shared with his friends. He didn't paying attention walking when Percy yelled to him from the doors of the cafeteria. "Hey Per-" He started to answer, but he was cut off my crashing into something. Or someone. A very bony and painful someone to land on, needless to say. He opened his eyes, starting to give an apology, when he saw who he'd crashed into.   
"Sorr- Oh. Oh." Leo scrambled to get up, anything to get his eyes off of Nico di Angelo, who looked simultaneously confused, horrified, and pissed. "Crap. Fuck." He offered his hand to help Nico up, but he rudely rejected and stood on his own  
The look on his face was terrifying. As if Leo wasn't already scared of the dude, what with his rudeness and his dark, creepy vibe.   
"Nico, I'm really, really sorr-"  
Nico held up his hand, as to say Shut up. Leo stopped talking, but only for a second. "I'm seriously really sorry, okay? More for my muffin that's smashed all over your shirt because I really wanted that muffin- but I'm still really sorry about your clothes and falling on you and everything."  
"Shut up." Nico's voice was cold and emotionless, making shivers run down Leo's spine. "Just- watch where you're going. We could avoid incidents like these if you at least put some effort into not being such an idiot." Without another word he turned and stalked off, probably to the restrooms, and Leo sighed. He checked his pockets for some more money to get something from the lunch line, shaking off Nico's remark. Of course, he had no money left, and all of his food was splattered over Nico (aside from the water bottle, which didn't seem smashed, thankfully).   
His stomach growled and he had the decency to not pout, even though he was upset. That muffin looked delicious and now it was all over Nico. Nico. Who he'd have to face when he got back to the stupid di Angelo house.  
Leo inwardly groaned, walking over to his and his friends' usual table. Percy, Annabeth, Rachel, Piper, and Hazel were already seated there, talking about whatever, and Leo just slumped into a seat next to Rachel.   
"Hey Leo!" Percy greeted him, while Piper and Hazel gave a small hello and Annabeth and Rachel were too distracted, quietly bickering.  
He plastered a fake grin on his face, Nico's words still floating in his mind, moving down a seat so that the words Rachel was saying weren't in his ears. "Hello all, did you miss me?" He paused. "Oh, what kind of question is that. I know you missed me."  
Piper smirked. "We didn't, actually, not at all, everything has been going great since you left three days ago."   
Leo rolled his eyes, knowing that was the opposite of the truth, before Hazel answered with, "Of course we missed you, Leo. Our repair boy isn't there to fix us up anymore."   
Conversation picked up, and they all started talking about something funny (even Rachel and Annabeth, who seemed to be content with whatever their argument ended with) that Leo wasn't really paying attention to, when Percy all of a sudden asked, "Why don't you have food?"  
Leo hesitated before answering. "I dropped it on some dude. I found it hilarious, but apparently he didn't like a large portion mashed potatoes all over his neck and shirt."

"You can have my PB&J if you want, Leo," Percy offered. Leo smiled. 

"Nah, that's okay Perce, I don't wanna take your food."   
"He had four pancakes and two full glasses of orange juice this morning." Piper said. "I think he's good."  
"In that case," Leo grabbed the PB&J off of Percy's tray and unwrapped it, taking a large bite of it an chewing contently. "Thanksth Poyfee" he said with food in his mouth.   
Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth simultaneously said "Ew" while Rachel laughed at him.   
"No problem, Leo," Percy took a sip of his chocolate milk. "Hey, did you know that the population of the U.S. is 316.1 million? I found out when Frank was on Google yesterday."  
Everyone at the table laughed; Percy would always randomly throw out a fact like that when it wasn't at all the topic of conversation. It was one of the things Leo loved about him. He wished that more people saw how smart Percy actually was instead of just labeling him as another one of those kids with the dysfunctional brain. If you didn't know the guy, you wouldn't even think he had Autism. He seemed just as normal as everyone else, except a bit more sensitive to noise and maybe a little less observant.   
"I did know that, actually," Annabeth said. "Isn't it amazing?"  
Percy frowned. "I don't think it's amazing... I think that there's too much people already. People need to stop giving birth." Leo laughed as Annabeth began to explain to him that it's not too scary because the world is so spread out but he didn't seem to be listening, and Leo stopped listening too, eventually, distracted by Nico, who just walked back into the cafeteria, looking cleaner and less frustrated.   
He skipped the lunch line, Leo noticed, and headed straight over to a small table that two people were already sitting together. He recognized one of them as Jason Grace and furrowed his brows. Jason was a popular dude, a big part of the school's basketball team, not to mention that his dad was one of pretty damn rich. Leo wouldn't call himself a popular kid, but he was still known at the school, for pranks, bad grades, and of course helping out a few bullied kids, with the help of Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel. Still, if Nico was a popular kid, Leo would've noticed him before.   
Leo looked away and back at his table, still thinking about what Nico said. Wow, words really hurt. Even though it was the smallest ever. Now he knew what those kids felt like every day when they were being bullied. And it sucked.   
"-so it's a sad world, but it's also a beautiful world." Annabeth was saying. "You just have to find the parts that make you happy, even if it takes a while."   
And it definitely wasn't here, because when Leo processed those words in his mind, the only thing he felt was sad. He'd never find that place.   
After another five minutes, the bell rang, signaling lunch was over. Leo said bye to them, leaving the cafeteria, thankful that he didn't have to keep that fake smile on anymore.


End file.
